The Sit Down: A Crime History Podcast

On Episode 38 of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into one of the most bizarre events in mob history, the killing of Gambino acting boss Frank Cali. Cali was a rising star and heavyweight in the current day leadership and many believed a mob war started when he was killed, it ended up being an unlikely suspect. We also delve into some of your questions in a special Christmas Q/A and I recomm...

On Episode 37 of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into the most famous hit in mob history, the killing of boss Paul Castellano. Thursday is the 36th anniversary of the iconic hit and we tell you about what lead up to it, the aftermath, who all the shooters were and how it went down. SHOW NOTE: WE WILL BE OFF NEXT WEEK THE WEEK OF THE 22ND FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, WE WILL RETURN THE LAST WE...

On Episode 36 of the Sit Down, Jeff delves into the life of Gambino Family powerhouse James Failla. Jimmy weaved his way through multiple regimes controlling one of the most lucrative rackets in the family and becoming one of the most prolific earners in the Mob. He was cautious and once called "one of the most discreet mobster ever", and it worked, until the end. A must listen about someone who's...

On Episode 35 of the Sit Down, Jeff delves into the life of Chinatown godfather Benny Ong who ruled the Chinese neighborhood in New York City for decades. He ran extortion, controlled gambling and prostitution and was able to navigate through multiple power grab attempts and vengful rivals. A fascinating time in New York City, check it out. ---------------------------------------------------------...

On Episode 34 of the Sit Down, Jeff and special guest: author and mob historian from Black Handprint Mafia, RJ Roger discuss the life and times of Genovese heavyweight Frank Costello. Frank was the most politically connected, regal gangster of all time, using his connections to make a vast amount of money and to bolster the family. He led the family through after boss of all bosses Lucky Luciano w...

On Episode 33 of the Sit Down, Jeff and Blackjack delve into the life of Genovese boss Liborio "Barney" Bellomo. Barney was a prodigy, rising up the ranks being made by 20, a captain by 30 and a boss by 33, gaining the trust of Vincent Gigante. He was a born leader, and according to the government is still very much in control of the most powerful Mafia family in the country. A legend and a fascin...

On Episode 32 of the Sit Down, Jeff and Blackjack delve into the life of Genovese boss Liborio "Barney" Bellomo. Barney was a prodigy, rising up the ranks being made by 20, a captain by 30 and a boss by 33, gaining the trust of Vincent Gigante. He was a born leader, and according to the government is still very much in control of the most powerful Mafia family in the country. A legend and a fascin...

On Episode 32 of the Sit Down, Jeff and Blackjack delve into the bizarre and demented life of Chicago gangster "Mad Sam" DeStefano. Sam would become a criminal at a young age, spend a lot of time in jail and learn how to loan shark ultimately becoming one of the biggest in the Windy City. He ruled customers with an iron fist and was involved in some of the most grisly murders in mob history. Ultim...

On Episode 31 of the Sit Down, Jeff delves into the biggest FBI infiltration of the Mafia ever, as agent Joe Pistone transforms into "Donnie Brasco" and becomes an associate in the Bonnano Crime Family. He makes his way through making money, connections and more but also providing the FBI with loads of info. It would be bad for the people involved, we discuss what actually happened and what about...

On Episode 30 of the Sit Down, Jeff delves into the life of Colombo underboss and heavyweight Sonny Franzese. When we look back on the Mafia in America, there isn't a more interesting character than Sonny. He was a cold calculated murderer who literally made a fortune in the music and movie business. He had an affair with Marilyn Monroe and lived into his 100's. Quite the life. An episode you have...

On Episode 29 of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into the life of Genovese Family powerhouse Matty "The Horse" Ianniello. Matty was once a war hero who rose to eventually becoming the boss of the family. He was a prolific earner who was even involved in being at a very publicized hit, had a possible connection to Mickey Mantle and we discuss his involvement with James Galante of NETFLIX fam...

On Episode 28 of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into the life of Meyer Lansky. Lansky came to America in the early 1910's with the thought of the American dream. He quickly rose alongside lifelong friends becoming integral in the growth of casino gambling ultimately settling in Cuba all to have it end with the rise of Communism. The most influential successful Non Italian organized crime f...

On Episode 27 of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into the most important person in the history of the American mob, Charlie Lucky Luciano. Luciano rose from the slums of the Lower East Side to prominence in the neighborhood to orchestrating a successful attempt in taking over the underworld and instituting new world principles and creating the Commision. A truly groundbreaking episode. As a...

On Episode 26 of the Sit Down, Jeff welcomes Sopranos Blueprint blogger Stephanie Rosedorf Diaz and they delve back into the ethos of one of the great shows of all time, The Sopranos. With the new film coming out we found it important to relive the great storylines, the characters and more. We also got into what exactly happened to the family after the show, what we can expect from the film, the r...

On Episode 25 of the Sit Down, Jeff and Blackjack delve into the life of Gambino consigliere Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. Gravano is a controversial figure full of hypocrisy. Through large parts of his life though he was a big time earner and dangerous individual. He would eventually defect and become the biggest rat in mob history. As always thanks for listening and if you enjoy the show, please giv...

On episode 24 of the Sit Down, Jeff delves into the life of Boston gangster John Martorano, the chilling enforcer and killer for the Winter Hill Gang and Whitey Bulger. John killed almost 2 dozen people and in the end did something he never thought he'd do, but in his eyes he had to. We also took your questions on the mob in a Q/A and discussed the news about a Colombo bust by the FEDS involving t...

On episode 23 of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into one of the most mysterious, fascinating figures in the history of American organized crime, Frank Matthews. Frank rose from the country roads of North Carolina to New York City and created the biggest drug empire in the history of this country. In 1973, he jumped bail and disappeared with 20 million bucks and was never seen again. Listen...

On episode 22 of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into the very respected underboss of the Gambino Crime Family, Neil Dellacroce. Neil had an ice cold stare and would terrify people, but he was an earner, very respected and brought calm to a family that had upheavals. He also groomed younger gangsters like John Gotti and rose his way to the top through being a pragmatist. There weren't many...

On this 21st episode of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into Bonanno boss Carmine Galante. Carmine killed police, sold tons of drugs, and truly marched to the beat of his own drum. There's one thing you can say was he was rich and powerful. In the end, he would have one of the most publicized deaths in the Mafia. We also interviewed NY Daily News reporter Larry McShane on his recent story r...

On this special 20th episode of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into Lucchese boss Tony Carallo. Tony was an interesting and shrewd figure. He rose into prominence under the great Tommy Lucchese learning how to do rackets particularly in labor and unions. We open the show with a cool Q/A taking some of your mob questions. Corallo biography begins at (33:10) As always thanks for listening an...

On the 19th episode of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into arguably the most iconic mob boss of modern times. Carlo Gambino came to America in the early 20s and ascended from a young hood to the top of a family through taking out rivals and making shrewd decisions. Carlo aligned with the right people and recreated the Mob and earned himself the role of "Boss of Bosses". We also start out t...

On the 18th episode of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into one of the greatest earners and leaders in the history of the mob, Fat Tony Salerno. He rose through the ranks of the Genovese Crime Family making hundreds of millions of dollars and is considered to be one of the greatest of all time. We also do a Q/A answering some listener questions. A truly interesting action packed episode. As...

On the 17th episode of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack delve into an array of topics including the life of Paul Castellano. Paul was an interesting and controversial figure. He made a ton of money but he allowed a crack to develop in his family through his own hypocrisy. We also do a Q/A answering some listener questions and we chat about the announcement of a new Gotti film. As always thanks for...

On the 16th episode of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack get into the life of Chicago Outfit heavyweight Tony Accardo. Tony ultimately lived one of the most successful lifes in the history of organized crime. He could say something that no one else could, listen to find out. We also delve into how he took the Outfit from a gang to an organization after Capone, going into Vegas, his ability to avoid...

On the 15th episode of the Sit Down, Jeff and BlackJack get into the wild life of Gambino Family capo Roy DeMeo. DeMeo is highly regarded as one of the most lethal people in the history of the Italian American mob. He and his crew believed in no body, no crime. The crew even established a method for killing and disposing of people. A truly violent episode of the Sit Down! As always thanks for list...